AFC BOURNEMOUTH fans are being encouraged to support the town’s foodbank this weekend.

Ahead of tomorrow's Premier League home fixture against Arsenal at Vitality Stadium, volunteers will be manning supermarket trollies at various points around the ground from 11.30am for supporters to drop off donations.

All donated items will go to Bournemouth Foodbank, whose headquarters is based in Charminster and provides nutritionally-balanced emergency food and support to local people in crisis.

Cherries supporters are being encouraged to bring items such as long life fruit juice, UHT and powdered milk, tinned fruit and vegetables, sauce for pasta, tea bags, tinned fish, tinned custard and rice pudding.

Bournemouth Foodbank is a project founded by local churches and community groups, working together towards stopping hunger in the local area.

Ed Briggs, warehouse manager at Bournemouth Foodbank, said: “It is absolutely fantastic to have AFC Bournemouth involved, helping to raise the profile of the foodbank.

“From the main warehouse we distribute to six different sites around Bournemouth, normally at churches, and in the last financial year we fed almost 5,000 local people in crisis. We are expecting referrals to increasingly become more frequent.

“We are finding that people are realising that it is okay to come to a foodbank and ask for help. There is nothing wrong with it and nothing to be ashamed of.

“Supporting the foodbank can be done in such a simple way, by donating a few tins or whatever people can, and if fans are able to bring items along on Sunday it will make a huge difference.”

Cherries striker Callum Wilson visited the headquarters yesterday to set the ball rolling on donations ahead of the collection effort tomorrow.

To find out more about Bournemouth Foodbank, visit www.bournemouth.foodbank.org.uk.